The garter snake is also known as the garden snake or garter snake. This is a representative of the already-shaped family, characterized by many color options. It is considered an American variety of harmless snakes familiar to us.
Accommodation
You can meet such a reptile in North and Central America: Canada, Mexico, USA. They prefer to live on the plains, but they are also found in the mountains, deciduous and coniferous forests. They settle most often in a humid climate, near water bodies, and also often live near human dwellings. Often the habitat area depends on the subspecies. Butler's garter snake is found in the United States, while Contant prefers the hot climate of Mexico. If among these reptiles are residents of the tropics, for example, the Guatemalan variety.
Lifestyle
The garter snake is a day dweller, hiding in burrows or between stones at night. In winter, it hibernates, after leaving whichinactive for 14 days. Average life expectancy is up to 10 years.
Features of food
Garden already uses tadpoles and frogs, shrews, snails, small birds, newts. They can also eat mice, salamanders, lizards and fish. Often, worms and insects also become food.
Description
You can recognize a garden snake by the following features:
- Small sizes: up to 50-120 cm.
- Slender squirming body.
- Slightly flared head is practically not separated from the body.
- Round pupils.
Have a defense mechanism that is used in case of danger - the selection of a foul-smelling liquid from the cloaca. But the answer to the question of whether the garter snake is poisonous is no: they are absolutely harmless, like snakes.
The color is very interesting: there are several longitudinal stripes, between which black spots are scattered. The back of the animal is most often light gray, cream or olive, the longitudinal stripes can be bright turquoise, white or black. Some subspecies have black transverse stripes on the sides, bright red spots. The long-nosed garter snake has a dark brown coloration, the black stripes on it are faintly visible. The Oregon variety is famous for its beautiful combination of black and cream shades. The large black-necked snake is olive-beige with black markings under the head. The Texas variety is very beautiful - the body is beige with oval black spots and an orange longitudinal stripe along the ridge.
Subspecies
Garden already has several subspecies, among which the following are the most common:
- Red-spotted. You can recognize it by its bright red or deep orange color. There are dark stripes on the sides, which are decorated with regular red spots.
- Common garter snake. The main color is cream or olive, black longitudinal stripes are visible on the sides of the ridge, there are no red stripes, but there are small red spots.
- California. A very beautiful olive-colored snake with red or turquoise stripes.
- Garter snake motley. The average body length is up to 50 cm. The olive-green color prevails, there are two light stripes along the ridge, dark spots in the shape of a rectangle can be seen over the entire surface. The belly is white.
In nature, other representatives of the species are often found, differing in a variety of colors.
Home maintenance
Keeping a garter snake at home is fun and easy. Due to the fact that this one is already medium in size and not poisonous, it will feel quite comfortable in an ordinary city apartment. And thanks to the bright multi-colored and varied coloring, such an animal will become a true decoration of any living corner. At home, the most commonly bred variegated garter snakes.
You need to prepare the following for your pet:
- Small terrarium. The best option for a couplereptiles - the length, width and height of the "dwelling" should be a little more than half a meter.
- At the bottom of the terrarium, you need to lay newspapers or paper towels, sprinkle wood chips and bark on top. It is recommended to stop the choice on aspen or pine shavings, but cedar is unsuitable for keeping garden snakes. Also, do not use sand or moss as a substrate - they stick to frogs and are swallowed by snakes when feeding.
- In order for the animal to hide, you should create a rock shelter in the terrarium.
- A garter snake home must have ventilation holes. It is extremely important to determine their size - small newborn snakes should not crawl through them.
The temperature regime also matters. The terrarium should be divided into two zones, in one day it should be + 25-26 ° C, in the other, warmer zone, a lamp should be installed, under which it will be approximately + 35 ° C. At night, additional lighting and heating are turned off. An electric heating pad or a heating tape will help to ensure the required temperature; in order to avoid burns, you should stop using heated stones. Daylight hours are 12 hours. At the same time, it is very important to ensure that the animal is not under the direct rays of the sun, which are detrimental to him.
The average price of a garter snake in pet stores is from 3 to 5 thousand rubles. You should immediately purchase a heterosexual pair - the animals will not be bored, and the owner will have the opportunity to breed.
Food inat home
In captivity, snakes should be fed every 6-7 days, giving earthworms, newts, frogs and toads, small mice. As a last resort, you can offer meat. They will not refuse small crustaceans, leeches. The garter snake is an unpretentious animal; it will not be difficult to feed it at home. However, experienced owners note that regular feeding of frogs and fish to a domestic snake negatively affects the condition of their liver and shortens their lifespan.
She should always have access to clean fresh water. A plastic drinker should be purchased, it is better to choose a medium size so that you can swim in it. However, you should not buy an excessively large container, otherwise the climate in the terrarium will be very humid, which will negatively affect the condition of the pet.
Home breeding
Garden already breeds in captivity, while it belongs to viviparous, so it does not lay eggs. The average number of cubs is from 10 to 50. Mating occurs after wintering, so the owner can stimulate the reproduction of pets by creating suitable conditions for them: reduce the temperature in the terrarium to + 4-10 ° С.
Preparation is done gradually:
- 21 days before the "wintering" feeding is completely stopped, the heating of the terrarium is turned off.
- Snakes are kept at room temperature for a week.
- The temperature is gradually lowered over the next 10 days.
To do this, you can temporarily transplant the snakes into a small Plexiglas box and take the house with the inhabitants to the balcony. Doing sorecommended in spring or autumn. Such artificial stimulation will allow mating at a convenient time for the owner and get more viable offspring. After hibernation, males secrete pheromones that attract females. Another secret of reproduction at home is the acquisition of a second male. This will create competition and greatly increase the likelihood of mating.
The total duration of the "wintering" is one and a half months, after which the male is transferred to the terrarium, they give him a couple of days to get used to the heat, then the female is planted. Mating will occur very quickly, and after about 70-75 days offspring will appear. During pregnancy, the female needs to provide good nutrition.
It is recommended to feed small snakes that have given birth to small fish, earthworms, which are previously kept out of the ground for half a day. The average weight of a newborn snake is about 2-3 grams, the body length is no more than 12-15 cm. They grow surprisingly quickly and become sexually mature by 7-8 months.
Content difficulties
Everyone who decides to get such an exotic pet should be aware of some of the difficulties that they will face:
- Snake food is not easily available in pet stores, so frogs, leeches and worms will have to be caught by yourself in the summer. For the winter, caught amphibians can be frozen. Some owners go astray by rubbing frogs on rodents.
- Snakes plentifully and often defecate, therefore, in order to avoid an unpleasant smell, the terrarium will have toclean up constantly. That's why experienced kite breeders advise not to buy an expensive substrate, opting for more economical options, such as paper.
- Snakes can suffer from a lack of vitamin B1, which is noticeable by the desire of the reptile to roll over on its back or side. In this case, you should give your pet this vitamin in the form of a supplement or include more frogs in the menu.
Despite some difficulties in care, these snakes are purchased for home terrariums due to their small size, amazing mobility and activity.
Interesting facts
We offer a selection of interesting facts about amazing colorful reptiles:
- Representatives of the already figurative became the main characters in modern cinema. So, the film "Vares - the garter snake" is known. This is a picture made in Finland.
- The genus of garter snakes includes more than 20 species that differ in color. Some individuals can reach a length of one and a half meters.
- Ophidiophobia is the fear of snakes.
- Female garden snakes are larger than males. This trait is shared by many snakes.
- Among these beautiful reptiles, there are also albinos, which can be recognized by their faded color.
- Females are amazingly gluttonous: they are able to eat anything, especially their appetite improves during pregnancy. Males are more picky.
Garter snakes are interesting and beautiful representatives of reptiles that are not onlytrue decoration of nature, but often become pets.
